The invention relates to methods and apparatus for assessing displayed content on data processing systems, collating user interest in displayed content, and altering content to optimize user interest potential.
Content-rich software environments face the daunting task of optimally organizing information of interest to individual users. The ideal solution would be self-organizing display based upon expressed user interest. Relying upon user surveys is impractical, as content may be too diverse or change frequently, and users are anyway often reluctant or unwilling to answer questionnaires for a variety of reasons, including tediousness and privacy concerns. There has been an unmet need to organize and alter display content for individuals so as to optimize user interest potential based upon surreptitious observation of patterns of expressed interest in content.
An essential aspect of this invention is providing descriptors of displayed content such that user exploration of content reveals interest in or avoidance of certain content. Another aspect is attribution of the relative display value of content. Another aspect is encapsulation of user interest and disinterest (valence) based upon selection or absence of selection of content. Another aspect is encapsulation of user valence in content based upon search nomenclature. Another aspect is indirect discernment of individual user valence for the separate characteristics of displayed content. Another aspect is grouping of users by characteristics of expressed interest, and aggregation of characteristics of interest to users. Another aspect are ways to arrange content display to optimize user interest and convenience based upon observed patterns.